Sewer sand washer or desander



Aug. 9 3- I H. R. CRIANE ET AL 2,328,060

SEWER S AND WASHER OR DESANDER Filed Aug. 311 1938 0 Q /7rzze%207-5, O .J/Q Ghana UNITED- STAT Patented Aug. 31, 1943 ES TENT,O FI 1 SEWER'SAND-WASHERJ on nnssnnnn Hubert Rf. Crane and William Osborn,

Application'August 31, 19 38, .Ser iall\To;2 27,771 l This invention is'e kite-like devicein the form of a wheeled unit for bodily introduction into the bore of a sewer pipe or otherconduit for the hydraulic ,removal tl'1erefr0m:of sand or other detritus as maybe encountered in theconduit.

" It has been the old practice topl'ace a canvas or other pliant bag in a sewer. Pipe or. the like and build up a hydrostatic" head onone side of thebag to drive it. along the sewer bore and at the same time to spray'a jet of water from the bag into the detritus ahead of the bag to flush it Iro ntheline."

Such bags are not very efiicientand are subiect to rapid wear, and are difl icult to handle.

1 His an object of the presentinvention to provide a substantiaLpractical andall-metal sand washing or removing unit incorporating a foldable or somewhatcolla'psible ,partitionfor head device which is adapt'edto be setup in a given size line bore for lineal drive by a head of water 7 m ne bore.

. Figure 3 is an obverse face elevation of the head in fully open position.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the device incorporating a mechanical mleans for collapsing 'Also, an object istoprovidea steady carriage for. the washer whereby to facilitate the forward drive of the unit by the water heaq and to kite part oi the" unit in atrans;

hold the head or aida liposition in the sewer line.

An bjectis tofp rovide aioldabl e or collaps i ble kite-head device having provision for the reand expanding the head-element positively in eachwfunction. .Figure 5.is an obverse face elevation of the kite disc of Fig. 4. e

The device as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, embodies a stiif, tubular, axial or, body'member 2 whose leading end is provided witha suitable nozzle. 3Hfor the discharge ofa spray :of. water arms and to opposite points I 0-I I, at opposite peated.partialcollapsingand theready re-set ting of the head, while the device is in operation in asewer line, or other conduit bore in ash/en case r additional object is to provide a sewer kite or sand washer having a steady wheel; carriage wherein the running wheels are capable of; a

yielding function ,in either of: opposite directions for a safely traversing the bo e passage. v

i The inventionconsists of certainadvancements in this art as will be set forthin the ensuing disobstacles encounterable ill],

sides of the arm pivots l, onthe member 2'. It willbe seen that the arms :6 can yieldably swing in either direction as their rjollers o'r pilot wheels 4 mayengage an To one end of the body member 2 there is attached by a swivel l2 a retracting cable or other suitable means-l3 for pulling back the unit in case itcannot go forwardinthe'boreof sewer S'to a desired out-let or man-hole. Between the closure andjhaving, with theabove. additional 1 objects and advantages as hereinafter developed,

and whose construction, combinations and do:

be made manifest in the descriptionof the here: withrillustrative embodiments; it being under-1 tailsof means,1and the manner ofyoperation will stood that modifications, variationsvand'adaptations may be resorted to within the spirihscope and principle of the'invention asitis more directly claimed herebelowr gure l is a .side'elevationiof the sewer d sanding unit as in operation in a given sewer line. Figure 2 is a detail edge'view of the kitehead element partly collapsed to allow washing water to'flow past thehead to asand barricade;

pilot wheels 4 and the swivel hitch the body member 2 is provided with a means to form a substantialkite or pistonfhead for the accumulation of a head of water in the sewer S to drive the wheeled unit to the leit; Fig.1, while water is being jetted atthe nozzle 3 into the open or sanded end of the bore. The piston headhere includes aj disc having'a stiff section rigidly fixed to the body, member 2 and" of a diameter to about easily slidablyfit a given'sewerboreand disposed perpendicular to the member 2 a stiff brace I5 being secured to the member 2 to, stay the reverse faceof the disc part I4; I: On the diametrical edgeof the pistonsection or disc part 14. there is hinged at [6 a complementary section H or half-disc with acentral aperture l8 to clear the near'partof the member z vfor a suitable forward folding or tilting of the section I'Las in Fig. 3, at times when itis desired to permit'a largevolume of the head water to wash out: a

bridge of sand B, asmay accumulate,

obstruction during axial shift of the device. i e

' -For the purpose of pulling open the swinging,

conducted. It will be seen that the water pressure accumulating on the obverse face, Fig. 3, of the installed unit, will ,if permitted, drive the wheeled unit forward in the sewer, and that the valve cable may be pulled up tight from time I to time to open the disc part I! of the piston disc to pass water for washing down sand or other bridging matter in advance of the unit.

.In the form of the invention shown in Figs. l

and 5, there is turnably supportedin the tubu- I lar member 2 a screwstem -011 which'there is mounted a nut 26 on which there is diametrically hinged at 21 a pair of piston disc sections 28-29 hinged half-discs forming a fluid actuated piston to-fit a given bore ofpipe or's'e'wer, Each swing- 'ing section it-29 is attached near itsouter swinging side to the outer end of a respective liii'htt m, which'links converge toward and connect at 32 33 with the near end of the main r body 2 this being provided with centering or pilot wheels d, as above set forth. The piston disc 28-29 is provided at itscenter. with a suitable water jet hole 34 about the nut 26 .forspraying water to the boregand the screw stem 25 has a valve nut 35 which maybe run up at will to close the hole 34 if desired. l"he screw stem 25 may be turned :at will to cause the nut 26 of the disc 28'29 to move toward or from the carriage body 2,1,0 open, that is to spread, the disc parts to'fit the bore of the sewer S, or to' somewhat collapse, as shown in dotted lines, :to, by-pass afluid driven piston orkite head having relatively, collapsible, discal sections, ascrew operae tively connected to;sa id member and to facilitate bodily retractionqof thecleaner, anuton said 3. A sewer ale-sanding tool as in claim 2, and in which one piston part is rigid 0n the body structure and the other is attached to said axially movable means for collapsing action.

4. A sewer de-sanding tool of the class described and having an elongate body member, a piston head consisting of a pair of diametrically hinged, discal parts, and a rotary tool retracting device attached to the said member andhaving means operative by rotation of said device to fold or spread andbeing connected to said parts and brace meansconnecting said body and said sections.

5. A sewer washer or ole-sander including a self-piloted, central structure having a centering m'eansat its forward end, a pair of diametrically around the said structure and the hinge axis being perpendicular to the axis of said structure, a tool retracting, draft device attached to said structure at its rear end, and means to effect a relative-collapse of the piston halves by a motion relative 'to said structure and independent of structure retracting motion; said structure extending through the piston, and the piston having a'central passage for water flow to the sand in front of the piston and a set of rigid com pression braces connected to and carried by said central structure. and engaging outer margins of the half discs to sustain them in-ope'n position. c

6. The washer of claim 5 and said'structure including a swivelled, rotative, threaded part screw carrying a pivoton which thehead is c diametrically foldable, and a brace means pivoted on said body and connected to and for supporting the head sections against pressureand to hold the :nut and the head against rotation as the screw is rotated. v t

2'. A de-s'andiii'g tool 6f the classdescribed and includinga central, elongate body structure, a muck'pushing kite headconsisting of apair, of semi-disc parts hinged together on a'di'ametr'ical line of the head'arid'which line is normal to the" axis of said body structure, a yieldable' centering means on said structure-forward of the headas to axial direction of pressure of tool operating fluid,apul-l backmeans at the opposite end of the body structure and movable axially as to said "structure, and connected to a part of the head to y and engaging distal swinging margins of the head parts, andone of said head parts being. rigidly fixed to the body structure.

and said collapsing means including a nut on said threaded part and to which nut the piston halves are attached at their hinge with the axis of the hinge perpendicular to the axis of the said structure; said bracesbein'g hinged at their ends to a non-rotary part of the central body structure and; to relative half-discs.

7. In a'sewer and conduit cleaning device, an axial body comprising a sleeve, a rod extending through and arranged for rotation within said sle,eve, ,said rod having, athreaded portion a nut seated on the, threaded portion oisaid rod, acollapsible headcomprising a pair OflSllbStaIltially semi-circularparts hinged "to Q8301). other and to. said nutandlinks connecting the' parts of said collapsible headandsaid sleeve.

8: In asewer; and conduit cleaning "device, an

membercomprising a sleeve; and a rod passing through said sleeve and arranged for rotation therein, a collapsible head comprising a pair of sem circular parts hinged to each other, links betwee'nlthe sleeve and the parts of said lie-seam means actuated by rotary movementof thered with respect {to said sleevefor tiltingthe parts- 0f the head lipo'ntheir'hinge.

9. In a sewer and conduit cleaning device, an elongated, axial body including aforward end part and a draft device me'ans connectingthe said draft" dviceand said part for directaction I without relative axial shift ofthe said draft-dc vice with "respect to the lattenwhen the latter is pulled back, a'collaps'ible' headcomprisinga pair of substantially semi-circular wings? hinged to one another on a diametrical line, which passes "through. the said. body transversely; means includin an'ob'lique brace, having its in-- ne'r end attached to'said Eb'o'dy, interposed between the elongated body'andzthei said. wings near the outer edge thereof to 'substantially restrict movement 'of said outer edge'when sub ject to fluid pressure. driving the cleaning device position," and" a wing o erating means connecteda relative collapse of thehead wings.v 1.

101A sewer washer oi de-sander including af' 7 shaft-iikebody h'aving relatively movabley front and rear sections, 'piloting and centering means attached! to one of-s ai d sections, a pair of diametrically divided; semi-disc members ,f orn1 ring a hydrauliojpiston. having a central passage-f way for flow of fluid tothe Irontot the piston and the body passing through said passageway a washer retracting, "drattjdevice attachedlto thebodyybraees hinged to one section of the the other section of-the body upon motionj'of the two body sections;

11. The tool of claim 10, and said hing 'e means V V including a' nut to which thepistonhalves are jconnected and a. threaded part on oneeection i of the body operative to shift the *nut when the;

other section is relatively turned.

HUBERT RQCRANE/ WIILLIAMDIOSBORNL 

